On April 3, 33 A.D., Jesus of Nazareth died in Jerusalem.
Earlier that morning, the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders, led by Judas Iscariot, came for Jesus in the garden. And Jesus said unto them,
"Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness." (Luke 22: 52-53)
--- Early in the morning on December 7, 1941, under the cover of darkness, Japanese war planes departed from aircraft carriers in the Pacific for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
--- At 2:45 a.m. on August 6, 1945, under the cover of darkness, the Enola Gay B29 Superfortress bomber departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with an atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
--- Late Sunday night on March 1, 2011, under the cover of darkness, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 swept into a compound in Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden.
--- And after participating in the last supper with Christ, Judas Iscariot "went immediately out: and it was night." (John 13: 30)
When they came for Jesus early that morning, darkness was across Jerusalem. People were either sleeping or beginning to arise to meet the day. Perhaps as early as 4 a.m. they came to whisk Jesus away, under the cover darkness, so that Jerusalem would not know of their secret activity: their conspiracy to execute Christ.
The Sanhedrin is the name of the highest Jewish tribunal, consisting of 71 men: the high priest, chief priests, and elite religious nobility in Jerusalem. According to Jewish law, the Sanhedrin violated three rules on April 3, 33 A.D.---
l. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to convene in darkness, neither the darkness of night, nor the darkness of early morning;
2. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to vote on a sentence of capital punishment on the day of a trial: they were supposed to sleep on it and render their decisions the following day;
3. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to convene on a sabbath day.
For the Sanhedrin, however, this was their time. This was their moment. This was a time for the wringing hands and not a time for reason and common sense. They were hasty. And thus the trial of Jesus began in the early morning hours with darkness across Jerusalem.
Unable to find agreements with their witnesses, they hastily took Jesus to meet with Pilate to see what Pilate would have to say about the matter. And three times Pilate told the Jews that they were wrong! In the gospel of Luke, Pilate said:
1. I find no fault with this man.
2. Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
3. Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
But the Sanhedrin would not let it go. Their evil minds were bent on the destruction of Christ the Lord. In only a matter hours, they captured and killed the Son of God.
Thus, on Wednesday at high noon, on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan, which is the same as Wednesday, April 3, 33 A.D., Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on a cross in Jerusalem: at precisely the same time when the Passover lamb was sacrificed in the temple!
In the words of John the baptist:
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Earlier that morning, the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders, led by Judas Iscariot, came for Jesus in the garden. And Jesus said unto them,
"Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness." (Luke 22: 52-53)
--- Early in the morning on December 7, 1941, under the cover of darkness, Japanese war planes departed from aircraft carriers in the Pacific for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
--- At 2:45 a.m. on August 6, 1945, under the cover of darkness, the Enola Gay B29 Superfortress bomber departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with an atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
--- Late Sunday night on March 1, 2011, under the cover of darkness, U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 swept into a compound in Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden.
--- And after participating in the last supper with Christ, Judas Iscariot "went immediately out: and it was night." (John 13: 30)
When they came for Jesus early that morning, darkness was across Jerusalem. People were either sleeping or beginning to arise to meet the day. Perhaps as early as 4 a.m. they came to whisk Jesus away, under the cover darkness, so that Jerusalem would not know of their secret activity: their conspiracy to execute Christ.
The Sanhedrin is the name of the highest Jewish tribunal, consisting of 71 men: the high priest, chief priests, and elite religious nobility in Jerusalem. According to Jewish law, the Sanhedrin violated three rules on April 3, 33 A.D.---
l. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to convene in darkness, neither the darkness of night, nor the darkness of early morning;
2. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to vote on a sentence of capital punishment on the day of a trial: they were supposed to sleep on it and render their decisions the following day;
3. the Sanhedrin was not supposed to convene on a sabbath day.
For the Sanhedrin, however, this was their time. This was their moment. This was a time for the wringing hands and not a time for reason and common sense. They were hasty. And thus the trial of Jesus began in the early morning hours with darkness across Jerusalem.
Unable to find agreements with their witnesses, they hastily took Jesus to meet with Pilate to see what Pilate would have to say about the matter. And three times Pilate told the Jews that they were wrong! In the gospel of Luke, Pilate said:
1. I find no fault with this man.
2. Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
3. Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
But the Sanhedrin would not let it go. Their evil minds were bent on the destruction of Christ the Lord. In only a matter hours, they captured and killed the Son of God.
Thus, on Wednesday at high noon, on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan, which is the same as Wednesday, April 3, 33 A.D., Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on a cross in Jerusalem: at precisely the same time when the Passover lamb was sacrificed in the temple!
In the words of John the baptist:
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
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